The little orange building sports a Gator holding a colorful yellow drink with the words “Nutrition for Gators” on the front window. Inside, digital menus are displayed against a leafy backdrop, and vibrant powders line the back counter.
Brittney Renard, a 36-year-old employee, scoops powders into containers as she expectantly waits for the door to open with customers.
“We’re just super excited,” Renard said. “I feel like everyone that comes through the door has never heard about Herbalife or has tried a loaded tea.”
The 13th Street Nutrition Bar opened Oct. 25 to start serving teas, coffee, shakes and refreshers. Known for its pre- and post-workout drinks, the store offers a variety of healthy beverages.
All of the drinks are sugar-free and protein-packed, but some also contain caffeine, collagen, biotin, aloe and probiotics. The supplements are from Herbalife, a prominent nutritional supplement brand.
Wendy Hersey, the 51-year-old shop owner, works with Renard, her niece. Born and raised in Gainesville, Hersey decided to open 13th Street Nutrition Bar after seeing the success of tea shops in small towns in the area.
Hersey said she wanted to do something different and found the building through a realtor friend at her dental office.
“I would like to try putting one in Gainesville,” she said, “and get the students, you know, hooked on them.”
Renard said the ultimate goal of starting the business was sharing great products through a family-run business model in the heart of Gainesville. She said her own kids come to the shop to help out sometimes.
“We wanted to kind of bring the loaded teas and the health and nutrition here to Gainesville,” she said.
The store offers loaded teas, which contain guarana and ginseng, as well as 200 mg of caffeine to boost energy levels. The teas help customers avoid a caffeine crash, Hersey said.
Regular customer Collin Austin sees the new store as a healthy alternative to other food and drinks. The 43-year-old is the owner of New Scooters 4 Less, a scooter shop located next door to the nutrition bar.
He said he frequents the shop for the health benefits. His favorite drinks to order are the “Rebuild” shakes, such as the S’mores and Reese’s, with over 40 grams of protein.
“I’m trying to take care of myself and not just default to junk foods,” Austin said. “I’m definitely all in on this.”
With the holidays coming up, the menu will rotate through new flavors themed after Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The shop’s latest teas include the “Pie Face” with strawberry, raspberry and vanilla flavors, and the “Gobble ‘Til You Wobble” with orange-pineapple and strawberry flavors.
Hersey said the shop plans to collaborate with UF student organizations for fundraisers or host events with local gyms.
Contact Summer Johnston at sjohnston@alligator.org. Follow her on X @summerajohnston.
